Phrenology cast of head of William Burke

Item Information

Title:
Phrenology cast of head of William Burke
Description:
Hallow plaster cast of a man's head and neck, painted white. Cast sculpted into pedestal base.
Creator:
Combe, George, 1788-1858 (original)
Date:
1829–1835
Format:
Objects/Artifacts
Genre:
death masks
Location:
Center for the History of Medicine (Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine)
Collection (local):
Warren Anatomical Museum
Warren Anatomical Museum (03386.001)
Subjects:
Casts
Grave Robbing
Phrenology
Death-Masks
Spurzheim, J. G. (Johann Gaspar), 1776-1832
Burke, William, 1792-1829
Link to Item:
https://collections.countway.harvard.edu/onview/items/show/13118
Terms of Use:
The Harvard Medical Library does not hold copyright on all the materials in the collection. For use information, contact the Warren Anatomical Museum Curator at chm@hms.harvard.edu
Contact host institution for more information.
Notes:
The original of this death cast was taken by George Combe after Burke was hanged in 1829. This cast was originally in the collections of Dr. J. G. Spurzheim and Mr. J. D. Holm of London. After Spurzheim's death in 1832, it was then acquired by the Boston Phrenological Society. After the society's active existence was terminated, it was purchased by John Collins Warren circa 1842 and donated to the Warren Museum in 1847.
Identifier:
WAM 03386.001